Machine for sawing nuts and the like



Oct. 30, 1934. o. A. MILAM ET Al.

MACHINE FOR SAWING NUTS AND THE LIKE Filed sept. 17. 1951 7 sheets-smeet 1 0r.3o,1934. QAMIL'AM ET AL' `1,978,808

MACHINE FOR SAWING-NUTS AND TH LIKE .Filed sept. 17. 1931 7 sheets-sheet 2 lo l Oran A. N//a/p Robe/ f. Nl/902 Oct. 30, 1934. o. A. MILAM ET AL 1,978,808 MACHINE FORYSAWING NUTS AND THE LIKE Oct. 30, 1934. O. A. MILAM ET AL Y 1,978,808

MACHINE FQR SAWING NUTS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 17. 1931 7 She'eS-Sheet 4 Oct; 30, 1934. o. Af MIL'AM ET AL 1,978,808

MACHINE FOR SAWING NUTS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 17. 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 7 7 7@ 70 7% N '"1 f w" 55- .65 "y 96; v/- 5"? n Y Oct. 3G, 1934. Q A' M|| AM ET AL A 1,978,808

MACHINE FOR SAWING NUTS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 1'7. 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 3mm/420% Oran 4. /4//6/0 @MMM/m MACHINE FOR SAWING NUTS AND THE LIKE v 'Fiied sept. 17. 1951 7 sheets-shet 7 7 WMM l La@ \I l @J7 n Oran A. /V//am @511 5g MQ Patented Oct. 30, 1934 UNITED STATES BATENT OFFICE Oran A. Milam and lI tobert E. Milam, Brownwood, Tex., assignors of one-third to Douglas Coalson,

Brownwood, Tex.

` Application September 17, 1931, Serial No. 563,324

' 14 Claims. v(Cl. 146--{-10') This invention relates to -new and useful improvements in machines for sawing nuts and the One object of the invention is to provide an improved machine for sawing kerfs in the shells of nuts, and particularly small nuts such as pecans, walnuts and the like.

A particular object of the invention'is to provide a machine having means for sawing a maximum number of nuts in a given period of time, whereby the sawing may be accomplished at a minimum expense.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a self-adjusting support which will readily accommodate itself to different sizes and shapes of nuts, and hold each in position to be eiectively acted upon by the saws;

Still another object is to provide means forv holding each nut as well as centering each nut immediately above the saws in position to be forced down between said saws by a moving element of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide yieldably mounted saws co-acting with the selfadjusting nut support, whereby the shell of each nut is longitudinally sawed, together with gauges for regulating the depth 'to which the saws cut into the shells of the nuts so as to save the meats from damage.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a nut gripping device co-acting with the saws and an unobstructed' discharge below the gripping device so 'that after a nut vis once sawed it may be expeditiously dischargedfrom the device thereby permitting the'succeeding nut to be immediately placed in position withoutl loss of time and without waiting forrnoving-instrumentalities to clear the'paths of the nuts. A further object of the invention'is to `pro vide an improved feeding means which assures a positive feed of the nuts, one by one', and in proper position to be handled. Another object of the invention is to provide a clutch mechanism for the feed driving means so arranged as to automatically interrupt the transmission of power when any moving part of the feed mechanism is obstructed; and also arranged to be mounted on a drive shaft which may be used in-'common with other machines.

A further object of the invention is to pro,- vide means for feeding elongated nuts each longitudinally into the path of thenut pusher, whereby such nuts will: be correctly .positioned for feeding to the saws. i' A still further object of the invention is to provide means co-acting with the nut support for centering and vertically aligning each nut prior to its entrancefbetween the saws.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fly wheel for each saw spindle, whereby sufficient momentum is' maintained to offset the retarding shock incidental to the saws engaging a nut, thereby assuring continuous and maximum sawing Veiiicienc'y.

`vA'co'nstruction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described together with other features of the invention.

The invention .will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings in which an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a machine constructed'in accordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is a front or side elevation of the same,

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on'the line 3--3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the sawing and gripping mechanism, the'upper structure being omitted,

Figure 5 is a sectional view of one of the saw heads,

Figure 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view takenpnthe line 6--6 of Figure 4, the table being added,

' Figure '7 is a detail of the driving mechanism including. the clutch,

Figure 8' is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same,

.-Figure'g is a transverse sectional view taken on: the'line 9-9 of Figure 8,

Figure 10 is a perspective View of the clutch,

Figure 11 is a detail of the nut pusher,

Figure 12 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on theline 12-12 of Figure 11,

Figure 13 is a sectional view of the nut elevator,

Figures 14 and 15 are details of the elevator chain,

Figure 16 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 16--16 of Figure 6,

Figure .17 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 17-17 of Figure 3,

Figure 18 is a transverse vertical view through the gear housing showing the discharge chute,.

Figure 19 is a plan view of the clutch holding hook, and

Figure 20 is a detail of the modied form of saw gauge ring.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a plate which is used for convenience, but it is to be understood that unattached parts could be mounted on separate bases. A table 11 is carried by legs or standards 12 secured upon the base plate.

An upright frame 13 is secured upon thetable, and this frame is provided with guide arms V14 and l5 (Figures 2 and 3). A vertically recip-Y` rocating pusher bar 16 is mounted to slide oiprocation of said plunger.

said arms and a verticallyV reciprocatingl slide bar 17 is also mounted in said a'rms. A ofu'ite'i-fj` shaft 18 is journaled in a head 19 mounted ate the upper end of the frame,l thereon a cam 20 and a f ,v

The cam 20 is mounted directly overvbar 16 while the cam 21 is mounted directly over the bar 17. A roller 22 (Fig. 3) journaledviin the` top of the bar 16 engages the cam 2Q, while a; roller 23 journaled in the top of the bar 17 rides against thacam 21. It .is obvious-:that as' the shaftlris rotated the camswilli depress. the bars 16 .and.1'7. Foureturning. said bars and holding them in contact witlithe cams, we' suspend a 'pair of coilsprings 24and a single coil; sp1-ing` 25. from the. head. 19. The. lower. ends. of .the .springs .-24 are connected to a crossbar 26..on 'ther` bar. las is best shown. inFigure 2. The lower end of the spring 25. isxconnected to astud 27..inounted on the bar 17 as Visbest shown in Btgureswl and. 2. L

A hoppenil'issuitably. supported at the .upg per-end of. standardsv 29 secured to the base 10 as. is'shown in Figure. 1. This hopper discharges into'anfinclined; chute SlLhaVing its lower end.y resting upon the table 11. An elevator comprising an endless chain 31 is'mountedat one end of the chute as i's'shown'in Figures 1, 3 and 13. The chainfpasses around a. lower sprocket 32 through aislot 33 in the end of. the chute and travels upwardly within said chute. The upf wardly movingichain passes outwardly over. a sprocket 34 at thetop of the chute. The-upper sprocket slightly. overhangs.4 the lower sprocket so that individual nuts carried by the buckets 35 will be cast outwardly and downwardlywhen` the buckets .pass over the center of the upper sprocket. The elevator is so arranged as to discharge the nuts one'by one into a spout' 36 which is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, and which in turn discharges the nuts into a Veshaped trough :37. .This trough has its bottom 38 rounded in cross-section and each nut is de-v livered so that its longitudinal axis is disposed longitudinally of the trough.

For discharging the nuts from the trough, we provide a plunger' 3,9 which is best shown in Figure 3. This plunger is provided with a head 46 and is arranged to reciprocate longitudinally of the trough 37. The plunger has anupstanding angular arm 41 at its outer end. The telescoping arm 42 of a bell crank lever 43 has its lower end pivoted to the upper end of the arm 41. The lever 43 is journaled on a shaft 44 in an inclined yoke 45 (Figures 1, 2 and 3), which has its lower. end supported bythe frame arm 14. The upper end of the inclined yoke is supported by a brace 46 secured to the head 19 of the frame.

An angular finger 47 pivoted in the slide bar 17 (Eig. 3) near its upper end telescopes into the end of the lever 43. When the bar 17 is depressed the linger will swing the bell crank leverwhereby the plungerI will be withdrawn so that the nut discharged from the chain 31. will fall into the trough 37 in front of the plunger head 40. Upon the up stroke of the bar 17 lever 43 will be swung so as. to move the plunger 39 inwardly, whereby the nut will be from the inner end of said trough. By timing the parts eaclinut. willv be;.discharged in front Offiherlurlesr bead 40 while fthe Same is at the outer end of its stroke, and thereby a nut will be discharged from the trough upon each re- The earn 21, which constantly bears on the roller 23, has such a shape'lligt- 1hr-'ais to depress the bar 17 once -iuring each revolution. In Figure 3 the cam is ,inwitsuppgringst.position and the plunger is in its malaises@ non.

Below;L the.y pusl'ieprbar 16 a beveled opening 48 is formed in .the` table l1 and the nut is dischargedfrornifthe trough 37 into this opening. Onthelower end of the pusher bar 16, a pusher head 50 is mounted. This head is shown in detail in .Figures 11 .and 12,; and. includes four vertiiensersll, angular; in cross Sec-.tion and having their lower edges 52 beveled inwardly and upwardliaf.v

Below the. table. l1, and between the leesv 12, we mountonrthehase 1.0.. a gear box 53 having a central opening 54- in its top axially aligned with the opening-43. -.,A nut cage 55 is mounted onthe. toneof the .box between the openings 43, and 54 asis shown inv Figs. 3 and 6. cage includes. an upper 5,6 and a lower ring 57, which is confined againstlateral movement by lugs 5.7' -ontl'le under .sident the table 11. IIflfie 'loweirringjs suitably confined on bosses 5.8.. (Fig. 6). ...while the .uppertring merely engages thenundelside-Oi'iheg table-Ll. TIISS@ IillgS. are connected by vertical-.grippers 5,9. Each gripper has a pivotal connection at its upper end with a spring. pressednplungen 6.0 slidable in the upper ring, and .itsflowerend is pivotally conn ectedwith aspringlplessedplunger 6 1 lmounted in the ring 57.

Thegrippers areshown in' detail, in Figures 6 andA 16. Each gripper includes.. an inclined throatportiono atl its upper.- end, at the bottoni of which-.is formed a shoulder b.. When the grippers areassembled it..-.wil1 be seen that a nut falling. through the openingv 48 will be received in the throat and supported .ort-the Shoulders b ready tol. be .sawed Eaclivg'rippr below its shoulder h `has 1 a lgripping or work holdingportion o, While'itsb lower portion d is curved outs wardly so. as to provide clearance for the sawed nut. The cage formed-bythe grippers is a very important feature, and-.bot reason of ther spr-ing y mounting thegrippers.' will yield, thus becoming 65, as shown'in Figure 13, .whereby all pinions The pinions 66 are are driven in common. mounted on countershafts 63. at right angles to eachv other. and 'supported in bearings 64 similar to the bearing 64. By this arrangement,

motion-is-.transmitted from the drive shaft 63 .1

tothe countershafts 63'. I

As each of the-sawing units is substantially the; same.' a description ofi one will explain the others. On cach of the shafts 63" and the shaft isfastened-a large'pulley-Gfl at the end of the bearing sleeve 68. The hub 69 of a supporting arm 70 is conned on the sleeve so that the arrn may rock or swing in a lvertical plane. At the upper end, the arm carries a head 71 in which a saw spindle '12 (Fig. 5) is suitably journal'ed with proper bearings to sustain the revolving or" the spindle at a high rate of speed;-4 On the outer end of the spindle, a fly-wheel 73 is fastened, and,v against the inner Iside of the4 ily-wheel, a small pulley 74 is secured on thespindle 72. A V-belt rl5 extending-from. the: pill-1 ley 67 to the pulley 74 drives the gspindlaf A slotted guard' (Figs. 1-, 2 and'4) muiited: on the bex 53 receives the'arm '70 and aries.' set screw?? which acts as a'stop it'tlieiswingc ofthe Iarm, as will be hereinafter 'explained-2 1 V'On -each spindle 72 is mounted-13.` *screwi-A threaded sleeve 78 as is shown'g'in Figure 5. sleeve has its, inner end --isecured' in' a flanged' co1lar"9 bearing against the end of'aball bear" ing 'Il' and suitably-fastened on the -reduced end of the spindle. The-sleeve has an integral collar 80 atits outer end-'and 'asmall circular saw 81 of 'a 'pair of saws, is'mountedfon the sleeve against said collar. A-spacer'rin'g-83 is screwed on the sleeve for holding the -sawagainst the collar, and the'second or complementary saw'l is held against thel spacer'bya -lock fnut 34. Each saw is provided with veryfine teeth and the saws are made o f extremely-thin steel' properly tempered, andof such material' as to' cut eliiciently when revolving at-sl'high rate of Speed. y' 'frz The saws are spaced that when four sets or eight saws in all are used, the quadrants of a small nut may be-sawed with: kerfs properly spaced apart. In order to control the depths of the cut so that thinv shellsmay be sawed as well as thick shells without injuring the meats, we provide for each pair tof saws a gauge ring (Fig. 5) which surrounds the ring 83 with suliicient clearance therebe`" tween to permit a lateral adjustment ofthe gauge ring. 'Ihe gauge ring doesnotrotate? "i and this is an important feature of the invention, as is also the fly-wheel 73. The iiy'wheel maintains momentum so that when the saws first engage the hard shell of the nut the inci' dental shock will not retard the rotation of said saws. The gauge being held stationary does not need bearings, and will not tend to burnish or dislodge the shell of the nut. The gauge ring 85 provided with an enlarged shank 86 having a slot 87 for receiving a screw 88 mounted in a bracket arm 89. By reason of the slot and the screw, the gauge may be adjusted in a horizontal plane, thereby regulating the depth of the cut. bracket arm 89 is fastened to a collar 90 secured on the head 71.

The saw mechanism is so positioned that each pair of is at right angles to each other pair, and each pair of saws projects between the grippers .59 as is clearly shown in Figures 4 and 16.

In order to hold the saws in position each head l 'l1 is. connected with one end of a coil spring 91,

which has its opposite end connected to a keeper 92 mounted on one of the table legs 12 and under sufficient tension to hold the arm '10 against the stop screw 7'7 as is shown in Figure 2. By this arrangement each saw unit isl yieldably supported so that the saws may be displaced outwardly by the nut and have yieldable contact therewith, but are prevented from engaging each other.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a nut very close together so which has been discharged through the opening 48 in the table 11 by the plunger head 40 will be supported-on the shoulders b oi the grppe'rs 59 in the throat'portions a. When the pusher bar 16 (Figure 3)4 is moved downwardly, the inclinediedgesl 52 (Fig. 11) of the pusher head 50 engage -fthe`uppermost end of the nut and 'not only centerV it but tend to vertically align an elongated nut. As the 'par continues its downward movement, the yieldable gripper-s vare spread so vthat thenut is pushed in between the gripping portion c, and at the same time sawed by the saws I8,1, which, of course yield according tothe'sizfeofthe nut, and cut to the depth limitednhy: thegaugejring 85. The pusher head pLlchnti'nues to ypush the nut through the saws, and ,topr'nlitlthstheangular fingers 51 receiver'thegrippe s an'djthe saws operate between orderjto. properly time the movements of the' plunger saandjtire pusher bar 16, the cams 20 are. en rploylecl. These cams are shown in; eleyation ingFig-ure 1'. The cam 20 has a radial atsidejn andlgfrorn theouter end of this pxsideg` the periphery of the cam is shaped inljshej'rmlof ",aj'lvolute curve to the point B, whereby the radius gradually reduces from the atside A tothev pointB. From the point B a'fsecond volute curved .surface extends to the pointjCbuti on' a shorter and from the point Ca 'rather'sharpdecline falls away to the message' f .y

'When the bar 16 is `at its uppermost or top position, the parts are substantially in the posititiiisfshowninFigure 1, Zand 3. The cam 20 isjsevlved' vin'a 'clckl-wise direction (Fig. 1) which causes the sharp decline of the cam from the flat surface A to the point C to ride along the roller 22. Thissteep incline imparts a rapid downward movement to the bar 16 whereby the head 50 is quickly carried down through the opening 48. While the roller 22 is traveling on the cam surface from C to B, the pusher head 50 will engage the nut and force it into contact with the saws. As the sawing action begins, the point B passes ovei` the roller, and the gradually increasing radius of the cani surface continues the downward movement of the bar 16, which completes the sawing action and discharges the nut. The travel from B to A is slightly slower than the preceding travel, however, the entire movement isvery rapid because of the speed at which the cam is revolving. When the iiat surface A is reached, the 16 will be released thus permitting the springs 24 to rapidly elevate the bar 16 so as to position the same to begin the next stroke. In order to Cushion the upward stroke of the bar 16, we provide a curved leaf spring 94 carried by the bracket arm l5 (Fig. 2) in the path of the bar 26, which engages said spring and thereby checks the return movement of the pusher bar.

The plunger 39 Amust be operated in time with tbl ico"

los

the pusher bar 16, and the cam 21 is providedl with three cam surfaces extending from D to. The surface from Eto.

E,EtoF,andFtoD. F has substantially the same radius, while from D to E, the surface is on an increasingradius, and frornD to F the cam surface is on an. inv creasing radius, but the curvature from D'to E is less than from D to F, which-produces a-faster. motion in the formor case than in the latter. When the cam 21 is operated in a'clockpwise'direction (Fig. 1) the slide bar 17 will be depressed.

whereby the bell cranklever 43 be swung to,

Wlhdf-'wthe plunger head 4.0.' to the outer end ofthetrough 37. After .the head 40 passes 'the chain '31. a nut vwill be dropped into, the .trough in the path of said head. As the cam travels from. E to F on theroller 23, the Ibar 1.7 and the. lever` 43 will remain stationary, thus holding the head in its outward position and gvingtlle4 chain 3lI ample time to deposit a. nutjin' the. trough inthe.

path .olf said head'. As. thefcam travels. from F to"`D the plunger 39 will be' moved inwardly, whereby the head 4.0 will .discharge'the nut from the trough 37 into the openingfi. y

The cams are so positioned on the shaft 1S' as to act in harmony and consequently as the pusher bar 16 starts downward the' plungeril' begins its reti-acting movement. and while. the nut is being sawed, the plunger is at its stationary position. As vthe pusherbar is returned, the plunger is also returning to thefposition shown in Figure 3. It is obvious that the.. cams -may be revolved at rate of speed justified by the mechanism and the nut feeding elevator.`

On the end of theishaft 1.8 (Figs. 2 and 3),

we provide a crank handle whereby the shaft.

shaft sa is mounted in the bearing 10o carried;

in the top of a shield 101 (Figures 1, 7 and 8l which is mounted on the base 1.0. A- beveled pinion 102 is fastened on the lower end of the shaft within the shield and meshes with a. pinion 103 fastened on a drive sleeve 104:.l

' The drive sleeve 104 is mounted at one end in a standard 105 (Figs. 7 and .8) and extends through a bearing box 106 on the upright of the shield 101. An enlarged clutch jaw 107 made integral with the sleeve bears against the end of the bearing so as to engage the clutch jaw- 108 of a clutch member 109, as is shown in Figures 8 and l0. An elongated drive shaft 110 extends through the sleeve and beyond the standard 105.

VThis drive shaft may be connected to the drive shaft of another machine (not shown), whereby more than one machine may be driven by the same source of power.

The clutch member 109 is slidable on the shaft 110 and said shaft is free to turn therein. A clutch head 113 is fastened upon the shaft 110 and V-shaped teeth 114 on the member 109 are adapted to engage in complementary seats 115 in the clutch head as is shown in Figures 8 and 10. The clutch jaws 107 and 108 remain in engagement constantly, but permit a sliding movement of the member 109, whereby the membermay be clutched and unclutched,

For shifting the clutch member 10.9. a yoke,1 16

' invtedat 11:7 on the reduced end of a curved cover plate 118, as is shown in Figures 9 and 10. The yoke'carries trunnions 119 engaging in aigroovel 120. The yoke is provided with an upwardly extending lever 121, and by shifting this leverthe yoke is swung on its pivots 117 and the clutch connected or disconnected. As is shown in Figures 1, 2, 7 and 19, a `standard 122 is mounted adjacent the lever, and. this standard has abracket 123 at its top. 'I he bracket carries aspring 'hook 124.which is shown in detail nfFure'lS- ..1

.Thafupper endof thelever. 121 is engaged in the hook andsaid hook is.swung outward under the tensionrof' its spring which is thus thrown oi llterw With v the parts in this position the clutch -will beengaged, and the teeth 114 will be positioned-in the-seats 115. So long as the parts remain in this relation, motion will be transmitted'to the shaft 98', but should any part of mwhntgdven-rom the shaft 98'become obstructed; s othat a moving part is arrested the clutch. Willdisengaged, thus saving the machinegffroxninjury. When the machine is ob- Structed., the-member 109 will be held against rotation.- whereby its v-shaped teeth will ride ocofrthe .Seats.`115, and this action will slide the member. .109-.away from -the head 113, which in turn-.Will swingv the lever 121 and trip the hook 124.. When. the-hook moves suiiiciently to swing its over-itscenter, said spring will continlle: thomovement of; the hook and complete the swing of the lever 121.

':It iSfQhviQ-ls that theshaft 11S' may be driven many-suitable frneans', and as an example we albeveled gear 125 fastened on said sha-.llt anddrivmbyaibeveled gear 126 (Figs. 2, 7:,and, 8);- Tlie gear 126 is suitably connected with-'a spoed-reducer 127 of suitable structure andforming. no part, of the invention. speedrreduccryis connected with a pulley 128 drivenlby al belt 129 from a smaller WHEY-13.0( RS. shown ingFig. 2. The pulley 13,01. is: mountedz on themotordrive-shaft 62.

Fmrdrving this .elevator chain 31, a shaft 131 12.

islcomleotedfwithithe bottom sprocket 32 (Figs. 2 -Aand 13)? andf'extends outwardly from the table 11=,-Ihs;shaft has a. Sprocket wheel 132 fastened onlits'eut.er;end;as;is=shown in Figures 1 and 2, which is dtiven bya sprocket chain 133. The sprocket: chain. isV driven by a sprocket wheel 134i mountedon a. oountershsft 135, which is journaled;in. the standard 105 is shown in Figures-2a? and 8. The shaft 135 is driven by a pnionvldfastened thereon and meshing with aninion. 1.37 fastened on the drive sleeve 101i. The; drive for-'tho elev-atoi` is so arranged as to mmm. the. chain 3lI at the proper rate of speed to deposit the nuts in front of the plunger head lat the. proper time.

In. using. the. machine, the nuts to be sawed are deposited-in the hopper 28 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3% from which` they will flow into the chute 30. Motion be-ing, imparted to the various elements,

the elevator-chain 31 (Fig. 13) will be moved 1liin, the direction of the arrows, wherebyeach bucket Bwill pick up a single nut. In order to Prevent. the buckets from picking up more than one nut, each, a. guard 35' is mounted on the link in advance of each bucket link so as to overif.

The

the plunger head 40." When the nut Ais deposited in the trough 37 the'elongated curved bottom 38 will tend to align the longitudinal axis of the nut (if it has such) with the longitudinal axis of said trough so that the nut will lie in proper position to be discharged.

At the'time each nut'is deposited in the trough 37, the plunger 39will be retracted and the pusher bar 16 will -be depressed for sawing the preceding nut. As the pusher bar beginsits upwardstroke, the plunger'f39 begins its inward stroke, and when the fhead' il-passesabove the path of the plunger head2 4)vthe nut is discharged rom the trough-into the opening' 48. rEhe nut is received inA the-cage 55 (Figs-:3 and 6) and rests upon the shoulders b. Upon the down stroke of the pusher bar 1G'and also-upon the down stroke of the bar 17, which is eiected by the cams 20' and21, the pusher head 50fen gages with the nut and the plunger 39 is retracted. The pusher head centers and straightens the nut and pushes itv between-'the saws, whereby the shell is sawed in the marmer hereinbefore '.iescribed.-A The nut is discharged through the opening 54 into the chute 93, and

the operation is continued as described.-

It is pointed out that while we have described the machine for sawing nuts it maybe used to saw fruit seeds or any other articles having the size and shape of nuts and capable of being sawed. While a pair :of saws have been shown and described and referred to as being very thin and having iine teeth, it is obvious that it would be possible to omit one of the saws and make great variations in the size, thickness and number of teeth. The cage'constitutes a self-adjusting support and by reason of the shouldersb supports the nuts above Land out of contact'wth the saws. It is obvious that the nuts were dropped directly on to the saws, said saws would begin cutting the nuts before they were centered and an unnecessary wearingicontact would be brought about. The -ywheels 73 not only act to produce sufficient momentum to offset the shock due to the contactof .the saws with the shells of the nuts, but also to maintain the rapid revolution of the saws during the sawingaction so that the cutting will not drag.

We have found thatthe -best results are obtained by revolving the saws at a very high rate of speed, and have run them at between 3000 and 4000 R. P. M. This is made possibleby the gear arrangement and the ily wheels. However, we do not wish to be limited to such speed, and the saws may be revolved at anydesirable rate of speed. The pusher bar. 16 while reciprocated rapidly, is of course, worked at a much slower speed than the saws, but it has been found that very successful results may be had by operating the bars 16 and 1'? at such a speed as to handle between 40 and 50 small nuts per minute. These figures are merely given as illustrations and the invention is in no way limited thereby as the speeds are subject to variation and much will depend upon the kind of nuts being handled. Considerable adjustment and variation is possible with the cams 20 and 21 and so long as the nut is discharged from the trough 37 into the path of the pusher oar at the proper time, the arrangement of the cams is secondary.

It is obvious that the gear box 53 should contain a suitable lubricant for the purpose of lubrieating the gears 65 and 66. In order that the gears may revolve in an oil bath, we provide a box 53' for this purpose as is shown in Figures 43 and 17. It is pointed out that the trough 37 in which the head of the plunger -40 travels is open at both ends, and from this it willbe apparent that if a nut should fall in front of the plunger head during its outer stroke, such a nut would be discharged from the open end of the trough and would thus not obstruct the operation of the machine. In Figure 20, we have shown a modiiied form of gauge ring This gauge ring is provided with an upper depression or recess 85a and a similar lower recess 85h. These depressions or irregularities below the perimeterof the ring, as shown'inFigure `5, will permit the saws to cut to a greater depth, and therefore will more efectually saw the ends cf the shells of the nuts which are thicker than the intermediate portions. It is obvious that the machine may be built with either form `of gauge ring.'

Various'changes in the size and shape of the diierent parts, as well as modifications and alterations, may be made within the scope of the appended claims. f

v'Having illustrated and described a preferred form of the-invention, what-we claim. is -1. In ahnt-sawing machine, a. plurality of revolvingv circular saws,means for movably supporting said saws, a nut support for receiving a falling* rnut -'and supporting it y above I the saws and out of contact therewith, the support being yieldable laterally at its top and bottom for permitting the passage of nuts therethrough and forgripping nuts intermediate its ends, the support 'gripping each nut and-being open to permit the saws to engage the nuts, and means for pushing the nutsl through the support.

2.A In a nut'sawing machine, a support,I rapidly moving saws 'mounted 'on-the support, a yieldable nut cage mounted on the support and open for the entrance of the saws, said cage being arranged to Support nuts out vof contact with the 4saw,a vertical frame on the support, a verticalf pusher 'bar mounted to reciprocate in the frame, 'a pusher head on the lower end of the pusher bar shaped to engage a nut and to enter the cage, and reciprocating means for feeding nuts Ainto the Ypath of the pusher head, the lower end of thez cage' being open, and unobstructed tothefree 4fdisharge of the sawed nuts therefrom. i

' 3. In a nut sawing machine, a support, rapidly moving vsaws mounted on the support, a yieldable nut cage comprisingr upright members yieldable laterally at their upper and lower ends and mountedon'thesupport and open for the entrance 'of the saws, said cage being arranged tosupport nuts out of contact with the saws, a vertical frame on the support, a pusher bar mounted to reciprocate in the frame, a pusher head on the lower end of the pusher bar shaped to engage a nut and to enter the cage, a nut receptacle, a plunger reciprocating horizontally in the receptacle for dislodg individual nuts into'the path of the pusher head, and means for singly feeding nuts into the receptacle.

4. A nut sawing machine as set forth in claim 3, and means mounted on the frame for imparting reciprocation to the plunger.

5. As a sub-combination in a nut sawing machine, a nut supporting and gripping cage including an upper support and a lower support, upright arms yieldably carried by both supports for radial movement throughout their lengths, and revoluble circular saws extending into the cage between the arms.

6. As a sub-combination in a nut sawing machine, a nut supporting and gripping cage including an upper support and a lower support, upright grippers yieldably carried by said supports for radial movement, said grippers havingv th ir upper portions shaped to support a nut and their intermediate portions shaped to grip a nut, the lower portions of the grippers being bent outwardly to provide clearance for a nut discharged downwardly from the gripping portions.

7. In a nut sawing machine, a support, a cage having grippers mounted to yield radially, rapidly moving saws mounted to enter the cage between the grippers, means for feeding nuts to one end of the cage, the grippers having their upper portions constructed to support a nut' above and out of Contact with the saws, and means for pushing a nut through the cage and between the saws, the lower ends of the grippers being directed outwardly to provide an enlarged discharge opening for the sawednuts.

8. In a nut sawing machine, a support, rapidly moving saws mounted on the support, a yieldable nut cage mounted on the support and open for the entrance of the saws, a frame on the support, a pusher bar mounted to reciprocate in the frame, a pusher head on the lower end of the pusher bar shaped to engage a nut and to enter the cage, a nut receptacle, a plunger reciprocating horizontally in the receptacle for dislodging individual nuts into the path of the pusher head, means mounted on the frame for imparting reciprocation to the plunger, a nut elevator for feeding nuts into the receptacle, means mounted on the frame for limparting reciprocation to the pusher bar, driving connections for the pusher bar` and plunger operating means and also for the elevator, a common driving means for said driving connections includinga clutch and means arranged to automatically disconnect said clutch. v

9. In a nut sawing machine, a tablev having a nut opening, a gear housing mounted below the table and having a discharge chute, a yieldable nut cage mounted between the housing and the table, gears in the housing, shafts driven by the gears, swinging supports carried by the housing, saw spindles mounted in said supports, driving connections between the shafts and the saw spindles, circular saws mounted on the spindles and co-acting with the cage, a frame mounted on the table, a pusher bar mounted to reciprocate in the frame through the opening of the table, means on the frame for reciprocating the pusher bar, a trough mounted 'on the table adjacent the opening of said table, a plunger reciprocating horizontally in the trough to discharge nuts into the table opening and the cage, means for feeding nuts to the trough, a reciprocating bar mounted in the frame, means on the frame for reciprocating said bar, and a bell crank lever connected with said bar and the plunger.

- 10. In a nut sawing machine, a plurality of revolving vcircular saws, means for yieldably supporting said saws for engagement with a. nut, a stationary support having yieldable members for receiving a nut and supporting it out of contact with lthe saws, means for feeding a nut axially thereof and longitudinally into the support, and a reciprocating element for pushing a nut held by the support between the saws and also discharging it from the saws, the lower ends of the nut supporting member being yieldable and unobstructed to a free discharge of the sawed nutby the reciprocating element.

11. In a nut sawing machine, a plurality of revolving circular saws, means for yieldably supporting 'said saws for-engagement with a nut, a stationary support having yieldable members between the saws for receiving a nut and supporting it out of contact with the saws, means for feeding a nut axially thereof and longitudinally into the support, and a reciprocating element for pushing a nut held by the support between the saws and also discharging it from the saws and from the support.

12. In a nut sawing machine, a plurality of revolving 'circular saws, means for yieldably supporting saidsaws for engagement with a nut, a stationary support having yieldable members between the saws for receiving a nut and supporting it out of contact with the saws, means for feeding a nut axially thereof and longitudinally into the support, and a reciprocating element for pushing a nut held by the support between :the saws land also `discharging it from the saws, the stationary support having openings for the saws intermediate the ends of the yieldable members andthe latter 'being unobstructed forfree lateral movement.A

13. In a nut sawing machine, a plurality of rvolving circular saws, means for yieldably supporting saidsaws'for engagement with a nut,-

a stationary support having yieldable members between the saws for receiving a nut and supporting lit out of contact with the saws in an upright position, means for vfeeding nuts into the support, a vertically reciprocating pusher bar for pushing a. nut downwardly through the support between said saws, "and vmeans including elements constructed for imparting a fast downward movement to the pusher bar and so arranged'as to impart a quicker return movement`l'thereto.

14. In a nut sawing machine, a support, a saw spindle movably mounted on the support, means for driving the saw spindle, a pair of circular saws mounted on the spindle, in closely spaced relation,v a narrow depth gage adjustably mounted on the support between the saws, the gage having an irregular surface provided with depressions for permitting the saws to cut deeper at the ends of a nut.

ORAN A. MILAM. ROBERT E. MILAM. 

